TyNia Rene' Brandon, a Charlotte, NC resident and the daughter of Tyrone and Sharon Brandon, was crowned Miss Mecklenburg County 2014 on March 1, 2014. She is currently attending Catawba College, pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre.
In June of this year, Brandon will compete for the title of Miss North Carolina with other young ladies from throughout the state. The state pageant includes a weeklong preliminary round of swimsuit, talent and evening gown competition as well as a private interview. During the interview session the contestants are expected to have knowledge about current affairs and be able to express their opinions about the topic. They will also need to be able to discuss their platform choice, and how it relates with the Miss America platform "Children's Miracle Network". The week's events end with the pageant on Saturday night, crowning Miss North Carolina 2014.
Brandon has partnered with Inspire the Fire (ITF), a community-based organization that encourages and enables young children to express themselves through the arts. In addition to song and dance performances, the group conducts a weeklong camp during the summer, called "The Experience", which allows the participants to study creative movement, vocal expression or stage and set design. This camp culminates with a performance that displays the skills gained throughout the week. "The Experience" has grown to include over 300 young people from all around the city. Because arts education is one of the first things eliminated when cuts hit the public schools, some of these children will not get the opportunity to gain knowledge and express themselves except through programs such as this. Brandon has been involved with ITF for the past four years as a contributor to the creative movement and vocal part of the camp, as well as performing with the group.
Brandon began voice training at the age of eight, where she performed with the Charlotte Children's Choir, an auditioned community-based organization, for 10 years, under the direction of Sandy Holland. She continues to study voice while attending college, and has been featured in various musical performances. During the Miss Mecklenburg County Pageant, Brandon sang an Italian aria entitled "O Mio Babino Caro". She also won the talent portion of the pageant.
